Across the U.S. in every state, the Latinx population is booming. That boom is reflected in the growing number of Hispanic Serving Institutions, a federal designation for those institutions with at least 25% Latinx student population.
Dr. Deborah Santiago, co-founder and CEO of Excelencia in Education.
“Those [institutions] that embrace the identification as an eHSI, [that] know who they serve and commit to being more intentional in their efforts to ensure Latino student success, represent a small but growing cadre of institutions that can lead the way in the change that is possible in higher education,” said Santiago.
Despite the Latinx population growth, some states do not have a higher education institution that qualifies as an HSI, and others may only have one or two. For those states, eHSIs can make the difference to a Latinx student.
“An eHSI that takes the commitment to intentionally serving their students seriously is a beacon of hope for Latino students, families, and communities that are, in turn, committed to earning a quality education and reaching the American Dream,” said Santiago.
In Wyoming, no university has qualified as an HSI. But Laramie County Community College, the state’s only eHSI, is well on its way.
The Latinx population in Wyoming has jumped 17.5% in the last ten years, according to the 2020 census, and now makes up over 10% of Wyoming’s population. LCCC President Dr. Joe Schaffer has been tracking the demographics of his rural community in Cheyenne “to ensure that the proportion of our student body that is Hispanic is at the same level [as Cheyenne] or higher.”
